The UK’s volunteering and training charity CSV will train and recruit active citizens across the country to support people aged over 50 and low income families to go online and stay online, thanks to a grant from Nominet Trust.

The £59,000 funding will be used to support people in four key areas in England, including South West, South, East Midlands and Yorkshire, who have tried to go online before or are complete novices. The volunteer “online buddy” will be a volunteer who is keen to be more involved in their local communities and is willing to help older people and low income families access the benefits of the internet including council services, online shopping or pursuing a hobby.

The funding from Nominet Trust, a charity that provides support for organisations working to increase internet access to vulnerable groups, will initially sponsor the online buddy scheme for one year. This project is part of CSV’s “Good Neighbours” scheme to encourage stronger community links and reduce social isolation for people aged over 50.  

Felicity Ford, Head of CSV Media, says: “The grant from Nominet Trust will have a profound impact on the people that will benefit from the project. We believe that all individuals should be able to access the internet and providing “online buddies” from the neighbourhood is one way to reduce social isolation in the community. There are many organisations providing training to help people go online, but there is not a lot of support for people to stay online.”

Annika Small, Director of Nominet Trust, says: “Nominet Trust is delighted to support CSV’s “internet buddy” initiative as a great example of how experienced web users can help others get online in a meaningful and sustained way. Many people find their initial encounters with the internet intimidating; the “internet buddy” scheme is a wonderful way to give confidence and support to new users.”

For press enquires, please contact Francesca Toma or Jason Tanner on ftoma@csv.org.uk / jtanner@csv.org.uk or 020 7812 0037 / 38 or 07966 168686 / 07941 433598

Notes for editors:
CSV (Community Service Volunteers) creates opportunities for people to take an active part in the life of their communities through volunteering, training and community action. Every year CSV helps transform the lives of over 1 million people. Last year 165,666 people gave their time as volunteers through CSV. The charity worked with 13,423 learners of all ages.  www.csv.org.uk